Love Like Fire
by ShadowyDream
Summary: Chiyo, a fox demoness is on a mission: to find her brother. Eventually she'll meet the gang and be swept up into all their adventures while learning plenty along the way. Will Hiei be her match? Hiei X OC
1. Cast of Characters

**Title**: Love like Fire

**Pairing**: (Hiei X OC)

**Anime**: Yu Yu Hakusho

**Disclaimer:**

The only character I own is Chiyo Fox. Please ask me if you wish to use her. Anything else that is recognizable from the Yu Yu Hakusho universe belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. © Yoshihiro Togashi 1990-1994 "Yu Yu Hakusho"/comics originally serialized in the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP published by Shueisha Inc. TV animation series "Yu Yu Hakusho" is produced by © Pierrot/Shueisha. Licensed by FUNimation® Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 

**The Players**

-Yusuke Urameshi

-Kazuma Kuwabara

-Kurama

-Hiei

-Chiyo 

**The Supporting Cast**

_Spirit Detective Saga_

-Botan

-Yukina

-Genkai

-Koenma

-Keiko

-The Four Beasts

-Crime Lord, Gonzo Tarukane

-Toguro Brothers

_The Dark Tournament Saga_

-Team Rokuyokai

-Dr. Ichigaki Team

-Team Masho

-Team Uraotogi

-Sakyo

_The Chapter Black Saga_

-Asato Kido

-Mitsunari Yanagisawa

-Yu Kaito

-Sniper

-Doctor

-Sea Man

-Shinobu Sensui, former spirit detective/ Kazuya, merciless killer

-Game Master

-Gourmet

-Gatekeeper

-King Yama

_The Saga of the Three Kings_

-Raizen, King of Makai

-Mukuro, King of Makai

-Yomi, King of Makai

-Shura, Son of Yomi

-Shigure, surgeon

-Enki, New King of Makai


	2. Episode 00: The hunt for a sibling

**Spirit Detective Saga**

_Episode 00—the hunt for a sibling_

Spirit world: home to ghouls, ghosts, demons, and a smattering of other races. It is a place of business, play and life and in many ways is much like the ningens' earth. Emotions range the same for the demons although one could argue that the standard way of living and doing things is decidedly more demonic, and less refined, but that's to be expected.

That is also the reason why at that very moment, Chiyo, a young fox demoness emerged from the trees that ringed the clearing in which a glowing portal was suspended ignoring the numerous signs that proclaimed the portal very decidedly off limits for any demons to pass through. Still, the unscrupulous-at the moment mind you-Chiyo had no issue with knocking out the guard so she could use the portal—despite the warnings because her reason was justified in her mind, "The Human Realm. Kurama… Brother did you really go there on that night so many years ago?" She queried to herself. Chiyo, younger sister to Kurama, had been searching for years for any sign of her lost sibling. It was then that she figured if he was not leaving any trace in Spirit World than obviously he must be somewhere else…and so she decided to move her search onto Earth.

She had spent years tracking down what sparse witnesses there were that saw her brother in the years since he had left their home to make a name for himself. Even fewer witnessed the final battle between her brother and the Hunter, one of the Spirit World's Elite soldiers, after he failed at a theft he was attempting. Chiyo's heart had frozen when she heard of the seemingly mortal wound he had received but she refused to give up. In fact, in the past couple of weeks she pondered just what her brother would do if he received a mortal wound and despite the seeming impossibility of it all, she realized he would fix it. He was intelligent enough to figure out a way after all, mortal wound or not, and then an even more bizarre idea had occurred to her. He wouldn't…but then Chiyo realized that yes, he would. He would escape to the human world and somewhere come up with a solution there, so the fox demoness decided that she, too, would go to find her brother and offer aid.

Chiyo sighed and, after taking one last look around at the lifeless landscape of Spirit world (the guard had been knocked out so that wasn't entirely accurate but...still), slipped into the portal…and landed in an undignified heap on the ground in a similar clearing at earth. She sat up rubbing her sore behind while muttering rebelliously—showing every inch of a hardly ever seen irritable side. She stood and dusted her white kimono-like battle outfit off. She readjusted the white kimono type top, dusted off her black martial arts pants and then moved into the trees—her snowy white ears flicking back and forth while her gold, mellowed slightly by a hint of amber, eyes took in every detail. Chiyo silently reached up and touched her silver necklace that held two simple silver bells, a gift from her brother. '_Kurama.' _ She pushed her white silver hair out of her face, paying special attention to the black strip of hair that obscured the vision of her right eye. That done and vision restored she saw that up ahead the trees were once again thinning and then the repeated whistling sound of a blade flowing through the air met her ears. They perked up at the sound and her pace quickened but then slowed, "Ah, that wouldn't have done much good. If it is a ningen up ahead I can hardly go there showing my demon nature. They might faint…or gods forbid get a heart attack and die. That's hardly a respectable way to start my search." She murmured to herself.

'_Lucky I had been masking my spirit… if it is a human it wouldn't matter either way, but if this is a demon. It makes more sense to be safe rather than sorry.'_ She placed her katana on the ground and then blue flames flickered into existence at her feet and swirled up and around her. A blue flash spread through the trees and then a human was stepping forward. Chiyo surveyed her work in a nearby stream: her white silver hair had darkened to black while the black strip lightened to white, her amber gold eyes had darkened to a golden brown, and her ears, tail, and claw-like nails had disappeared. She pulled the whole of her hair into a ponytail, leaving the white strip free and then dusted off her clothes that remained the same and then replaced the sword at her waist. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at her reflection and the silver bells rang out. Satisfied with her work (she looked quite like a human), Chiyo moved once more towards the clearing. Pushing aside a strand of bamboo she watched a black blur as it appeared and then disappeared into view. She tilted her head to the side again and then stepped into the clearing heralded by the bells ringing out at the movement.

The blur disappeared. She remained calm, golden brown eyes surveying the clearing before she closed her eyes. _'He is right…..there!'_ She flowed about the sword as it stabbed towards her abdomen and then her own sword was coming out of the sheath in a whisper of steel. Her eyes snapped open and she parried the next blow and pushed back, "Wait, I was just passing through. Whatever your business, I do not much care, I have more important things to deal with."

The black blur slowed and then stopped in the clearing and Chiyo was left regarding a demon seemingly her own age with spiked black hair with white streaks fanning out in the front and burning crimson eyes. She could meet his eyes fairly easily which was nice as all other males seemed so gods cursed tall. She placed him at about 4' 10'' while she was at 4'8''. His expression was one of boredom and betrayed nothing of his true emotions just as Chiyo's betrayed nothing of her own. His clothes consisted of black martial arts pants and a black cloak with a white collar. "Hn, why come here unless you spying?"

Chiyo snorted, "I don't need to spy. I already _told _you that I was looking for someone more important than you—Kurama is his name. Have you heard of him?" The demon's eyes widened an infinitesimal amount and once more he was a blur. Suddenly a black cloak was flying straight at her and she tightened her grip on her sword before swiping her hand at the offending garment and then swiftly parrying the blows that came one after another in her direction. Chiyo knew that if any human were to see this battle they'd see a blur of black and white; that was all. They were moving much too fast for all but the most trained human eyes to see. She snarled in anger. Chiyo was known for her speed but this demon was outclassing her. She began to pick up several small cuts on her body and one along her cheek. Who was this person and how dare he make her look so _slow_. As she watched him for his next move that would entail another flurry of sword strikes she smirked to see she had scored once across his abdomen and that it still bled sluggishly.

"What are you doing here? What does the Spirit World's Elite need with Kurama?" The swords clashed together again and again while Chiyo's eyes shone confusion, _'What the hell is this person talking about? Spirit Elite?'_ It occurred to her as she placed her back to a tree to better defend herself and she widened her eyes in understanding. She flicked her sword to stop his next attack but he twisted his own around her blade and ripped it away, it flew through the air and embedded in a tree nearby. He moved forward and pushed her back against the tree his sword hovered at her throat, "Speak now or your die. You may die anyway so you better make it quick."

Chiyo looked at the male before her, taking in the now bare chested sight, before she sighed and then blue flames spiraled around her as she unmasked her power, which she estimated put her on similar ground with the demon standing before her. His sword didn't waiver from its poised position at her throat, and then she was standing before him in her true form. She curled her lip in distaste of the thought of being a spirit elite, "I'm a fox demon you fool, not a Hunter."

"Hn, what is your reason for wanting to see Kurama? Is it that you seek a prospective mate?" Her golden eyes sparked with rage and embarrassment. A mate…really did she look like that's what she was looking for? She raised her now clawed hand and thwacked him alongside the head before he wrapped strong fingers around her wrist and slammed it back against the bark of the tree.

Chiyo winced at the pain but bit out a reply, "What the hell was that for? For hurting your pride when I taught you a lesson that women can be more than just someone looking for their 'prospective mates' you fool? Of course you are another baka male thinking that only guys should fight." Her mind was busy worrying away at the ways that she could end this battle with no more bloodshed. She had to talk to this demon, he knew of her brother, it was the start that she needed to continue her search. She'd seen her chance by pushing the buttons on his anger and it seemed to pay off at his next reply.

The crimson eyes sparked anger however at the moment golden eyes glared just as fiercely. "That's it you die." He pulled back his sword and swung it forward and Chiyo took this moment to free her hand from his grasp and then slammed both together on the edges of blade descending towards her neck. The demon's eyes widened at her burst of spirit enhanced speed.

"Stop! Kurama is my brother!"

The sword abruptly disappeared and was returned to the sheath. The demon stepped back and Chiyo stepped away from her compromising position against the tree and rubbed her sore hand with clawed fingers, wincing when the scab came off and she began bleeding again. She took inventory of her hurts (although she would never admit it, she was keeping a meticulous list of hurts to give to this speedy demon—her pride still hurt that she had been bested) scraped hand, cut cheek, a deep bruise on her back from her collision with the tree, a scattering of shallow slits on her arms where she hadn't moved quite fast enough…other than that, she had survived the fight reasonably well.

She watched as he surveyed her but what he next said surprised her, "You're Chiyo."

Golden eyes narrowed, "How do you know that? What is your name?" She was quiet as she waited for his reply but hope soared in her chest, could she be close to finding her brother? Did this demon know where he was?

The demon walked to the tree and grabbed his cloak putting it back on before replying. "Hiei." The monosyllabic reply brought her back to the present and she was slightly irritated at this Hiei, for keeping her when her brother must be near. She snapped a reply.

"How do you know my brother? Where is he?"

"We are partners. We stole the three dark artifacts with another accomplice." Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion at the fox demoness' sudden grin as he had no way of knowing that hearing that her brother was thieving still had lifted her heart with hope once more. Her brother! She was going to see her brother after all these years! The hope soared higher. Hiei noticed the golden eyes sparkling with hope and he continued, "He's gone."

The hope died in a flash. _'No, no, no, no. This isn't right. He can't be…I'm so close…' _her thought spiraled down and an immeasurable pain lit the golden orbs. Hiei watched it all impassively. The fox demoness fell to her knees as tears gathered in her eyes. She sobbed once, brokenly. Hiei had wanted to sneer in derision at this display of weakness but then her actions made sense. He cursed, he understood what it was like to have a sibling that was missing… to search for them until strength has flagged and hope had died…to stubbornly refuse to give up. He moved towards her and knelt, "Chiyo…" No response, her eyes vacant. Hiei's eyes blinked together for a time before he opened them and reached out with a hand to wipe her tears away, "Chiyo, listen to me. Chiyo…" The eyes remained unseeing.

Hiei did the logical (for a demon) thing and then grasped one snowy ear and twisted slightly before speaking again ignoring her yelp of pain (as that had been the intended purpose—to wake her up with a dose of feeling) and the way furious golden eyes zeroed in on his hand, "Little Fox, he is not dead. He left us. I don't know where he is."

The tears slowed and the anger subsided although she batted his hand away aggressively and then rubbed her ear, frowning at the warmness that seemed to remain at his touch. He didn't see Hiei drop his hand to his side hand clenched and crimson eyes confused, as he allowed her the swipe to his hand to stand even though he had never allowed anyone to strike him without retribution, before he wiped his hand on his pants to erase the tingling feeling that her fur had sparked in him. Golden eyes focused on him and she spoke again seemingly in a slight daze…her eyes guarded against hope. She repeated the words slowly, "He is not dead." Hiei nodded in reply understanding that the fox was assimilating to this change…wagering whether this hope was worth feeling. Hiei felt a spark of kindred spirits in this fox demoness sitting before him, knowing as he did about having lost siblings.

"Little Fox, he is alive." Her eyes shone with light again and Hiei tried to ignore the contentedness that had risen at the sight of her smile, a first for this fire demon. He was unprepared when she flung herself at him, causing him to land with his back to the tree as a now sobbing fox demoness wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into the crook where his neck met shoulder.

He sat awkwardly for a moment, listening as she sobbed, "He's alive, he's alive, he's alive! Hiei, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Over and over he listened to her mantra as she tightened her hold on him and then Hiei slowly raised a hand and swept it through her hair in understanding, hand pausing to caress her ears before continuing the motion. His eyes softening as he thought of his own sister. This fox sitting in front of him understood what he allowed no one else to see what he felt. So, he would allow her what no one saw of himself, a gentle understanding that stemmed from what he saw as likened pain. To lose a sibling was painful so he understood her unguarded moment of relief and allowed it all, even the hug (despite it being another first for him), because as he had seen in the battle with her; she was strong just as he was. She would survive and continue on just like he had.

"Yes, Chiyo, he is alive."


	3. Episode 01: Becoming friends?

_Episode 01—Becoming…friends?_

**-15 weeks later-**

Hiei sat in the small cottage glaring into the fire as the thunder rumbled outside and the rain drummed against the roof. Fifteen weeks ago Chiyo had sauntered her way into his life and changed it. He wasn't sure that he liked the change. He thought back to that first day…

_Eventually, the trembling and the hot flood of tears that was slowly soaking into his shirt slowed and then stopped. Hiei heard a small relieved sigh before her arms tightened around him one last time and then she was standing up and offering her hand. Her face although tear-streaked betrayed no emotion and her eyes were once again guarded. She spoke softly, "I'm sorry about that. It's just that…at first I thought you meant that he," her voice caught at the small word and her eyes darkened at the memory/fear, "that he was gone." _

"_I know." His reply was short but he accepted her help. She pulled him to his feet easily and then walked over to where her sword was impaled in a thick tree. She grinned slightly and then reached up and yanked the blade out, her eyes crinkling in amusement—although at what, Hiei wasn't quite sure. _

"_You know, Hiei, you are quite good with the sword. It has been many decades since I was so effectively beaten." She gestured at herself and again her golden amber eyes were glimmering with laughter. Chiyo had shrugged away his attempted (and if he were honest with himself, completely awful) apology and scooped up his sword and threw it at him. He caught it easily but hissed in a quick breath when he went to place the sword at his back. Her snowy ears twitched and in hardly more than a second she was once again across the clearing and then moving to lift his shirt. He moved to stop her by grabbing her wrist. Hiei was promptly blocked, thwacked aside the head_ again _while she growled irritated, and then she was pushing him back into the tree to prevent further movement. She lifted up his shirt and spoke simply, "You're still bleeding." _

"_I know." Snapping golden amber eyes glanced up to meet red for a few tense seconds before she huffed an irritated sigh. _

"_Do you ever actually speak in full sentences?" _

"_That was a sentence." He had shrugged nonchalantly. Chiyo had opened her mouth to retort, even as her hand twitched (he assumed she was going to try to hit him again and promptly grabbed her wrist, squeezing warningly). Her glare intensified for a moment. Eventually though, her eyes had lightened and she twisted her hand until she was grasping his hand. He started and she laughed lightly._

"_Something wrong?" She had queried innocently, her face almost _too_ blank and innocent._

"_Why are you holding my hand?" He watched her for a moment and raised an eyebrow as her gaze brightened and her lips twitched as she fought back a smile. _

_Her reply, when it came, did not answer his question, "Because." Then to add further injury Chiyo, like the vixen she was, squeezed his hand. _

"_That is not a sentence." Red eyes moved to meet golden amber and understanding dawned. She was _teasing_ him. For a moment, his lips formed a half-smirk. _

_She grinned in reply before she sighed theatrically, "Well, it is certainly not a full sentence I'll give you that. Clearly, I'm holding your hand so you can lead me back to you place. We have to get you patched up. A fox does not leave allies bleeding especially if it is her fault that they are in such a condition to begin with." _

_He'd quirked an eyebrow, "Allies?"_

_She quirked her own in reply, "Would you rather we be enemies?"_

A loud peal of thunder brought the fire demon out of his thoughts. He allowed his eyes to wander towards the clock—it was nearing 10:30—and Chiyo had said she'd be back early tonight. With one last glance (he wasn't _worried_ or anything) at the clock he turned his gaze back into the fire and resumed his ruminating.

_The first evening he'd brought her to the cottage had been an interesting one to be sure. Despite her teasing, she'd released his hand and then followed him sure-footedly as he leapt from tree to tree in a blur. Eventually, he led her to the clearing that housed the small building and she'd dropped lightly beside him. "You, Hiei, were trying to lose me back there. We must have circled this place at least 3 times." _

"_It was five." _

_She'd snorted and pushed past him brushing her shoulder against his as she wandered up and then stopped at the door, tail flicking idly back and forth, "A test so soon? Surely, I've proven myself in our little sword fight?" He'd given her his noncommittal grunt and she shook her head while a smile curved her lips. "Look, do you want to bleed all night? It hasn't stopped you know." She gestured at the door in front of her, "Are you going to let me in?" He had, of course. _

_She'd made her way to the bathroom right away and returned with a bottle of antiseptic and a roll of bandages. He didn't bother asking how she knew where the bathroom was, he'd assumed by scent. Chiyo inclined her head towards the kitchen table. "Sit." _

_Hiei sat and she swiftly walked over to him and motioned for him to take his shirt off. When that was lying beside him she'd looked at him and then the faintest blush had painted across her cheeks. He'd smirked. She'd slapped him aside the head again, "Shut up and don't smirk. You aren't that good looking. It's just…I should have better control; I need to practice." Chiyo had said by way of explanation and although Hiei had no way of knowing, and still didn't in fact, she had been lying. She crouched and examined his wound carefully. Her white tail twitched side to side lazily. She probed his wound with gentle, sure fingers. He'd hardly felt her butterfly light touches …that is until she'd dumped nearly half the bottle of antiseptic onto the cut. He reached forward and twisted her left ear and she yelped and once again thwacked him aside the head, "Damn you! What was that for?" _

_She had raised a hand and was now massaging her snowy ear gently. He'd risen now and glared down at her. She returned the treatment. His voice when he spoke was sharp and cynical, "What was that for? Can you be that stupid? You poured the whole damn bottle onto that cut! Generally people give warning and they _don't_ use the whole damn bottle. It's just a little cut. I'm a demon; it'll heal by the end of the week. Chiyo, you are such a—" He'd broken off as he saw her laughing lightly, "What?" _

_She'd grinned, "That was the most I've heard you speak. Still, you are right I am supposed to be patching you up not hurting you worse. Let me quickly wrap the bandages and then I can leave. I promise to not use any more." Chiyo had shaken the bottle for emphasis and he'd finally relented and allowed her to finish playing 'doctor'. True to her word she'd done the job methodically. Slowly wrapping the bandage around his chest and then behind his back. He took the time to observe her. Golden amber eyes had stayed focused although she occasionally pushed the midnight black strand of hair that covered her eye away and her eyes flashed slight irritation. After she'd tucked the last bandage in she spoke softly, "There you go. I am sorry for the cut. Like you said, you should heal up in a couple of days. Thank you for all the help, Hiei. Good-bye." She'd waved and turned to go._

"_Stay." He'd spoken before he'd thought it through. _

"_What?" _

"_Stay here. You don't have anywhere else to stay and you can't walk around the humans wearing that." Chiyo glanced down at her bloodstained shirt and her eyes widened in surprise. _

"_Oh…I suppose you're right." She was quiet for a moment but then she smiled at him and tilted her head to the side, bells ringing out at the movement. "Where do I sleep?" She'd asked brightly. Hiei had been silent for only a few moments before he gestured down the hall towards the only bedroom._

"_I'll sleep on the couch." _

_Chiyo had taken a few steps down the hall before she turned, "Are you sure?" He'd known she was asking about more than just the bedroom, giving him one last chance to get her out of his life._

"_Yes." He wasn't going to turn Kurama's little sister away. Kurama would not be pleased if he ever deigned to stop by again to find out that Hiei had turned his sister, _his little sister_, out and alone into the night. Like Yukina was never far from his; Hiei knew that this fox demoness was never far from his sometime-best friend's mind. _

Hiei snorted. Damn that Chiyo. It appeared that she wasn't far from his mind now either. He was surprised at how fast the fox had managed to weave herself into his life. Still, there'd been a few mishaps before all the kinks had been worked out…

_The first morning following Hiei allowing her to stay was when she'd padded out to the kitchen in nothing but an oversized t-shirt. She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Hiei had silently watched her as she'd gotten a drink of water from the sink. As she turned she'd met the fire demon's raised eyebrow with a mouth opened in shock and ears flicked back and forth quickly. She'd colored instantly, thrown the cup into the sink, and spirited past him. A few minutes later, properly attired she'd returned. He had smirked._

_She glared and thwacked him aside the head, although not hard. He responded by reaching for her left ear and twisting lightly. Her lips twitched as they held back a smile, "Not a word, Hiei. Ever."_

_*.H*C.*_

_A few evenings later, she was curled in the armchair next to the fire, perusing a book, tail idly flicking back and forth. The fire crackled over the companionable silence until her stomach rumbled. Hiei had smirked, "Hungry?" _

_Another rumble broke the silence and Chiyo's abashed grin widened into a smirk, "I don't think I'm the only one." Hiei deigned not to reply and looked into the fire. She grinned wider—vixen that she was—but then snapped her book closed and laid it on the table next to her chair. She rose and stretched, arms above her head and back arching, and then she was padding into the kitchen. Clattering and a few muffled curses were enough incentive to draw Hiei to the door a few minutes later. He'd only been leaning against the frame for a few moments before he'd realized two things. Chiyo had gotten out enough food for _two_ people and Chiyo really needed cooking lessons. _

_He had sighed as he walked in. He nudged her over to the cutting board while he managed to save both the rice and the house from burning down. "You should probably just cut the vegetables and meat, Little Fox." He glanced at her—she'd managed to get flour on her face in the space of two minutes—and shook his head. She just grinned at him and tilted her head to the side causing the bells to jingle slightly. _

"_Okay. That's probably a good idea… especially if we'd like to have something other than charcoal to eat." She began to cut the vegetables neatly._

"_Or if we'd like to have someplace to sleep tonight." He stated. She chuckled lightly at the joke and nudged him._

"_That too." He just shook his head again. He glanced at her once more and then he wiped the flour from her cheek. Her swift chopping slowed for a moment and golden eyes had rested on his figure (of course his countenance revealed nothing, Chiyo was annoyed to see) but then she'd shrugged and returned to her work. It was then that he'd twisted her left ear. Chiyo smiled and nudged him in reply._

*.H*C.*

_A week or so after that Chiyo had returned to the cottage early. It was a lot harder acting like a human then she'd suspected…and it was tiring. Humans didn't treat each other with much respect and most of them were just so infinitely _stupid_… She sighed; she hadn't known what to do: kill the poor things to put them out of their misery or let them bumble their way through their lives. After some lengthy consideration (right after some fool had pushed her to the ground) she had decided that killing them was not ideal for her search for her brother as it would draw to much unwanted attention. As soon as she passed through the door she'd allowed the blue flames to spiral up her body to transform it. This proved to be a mistake, although one she wouldn't realize until later. She sighed and flicked her tail wearily as she flopped onto the couch. After a few pensive moments she sat up and grabbed a nearby book and began to flip through the pages. She'd just begun to sink into the story as voices met her ears. Her ears flicked up in surprise—voices? That meant…_

_Her thought was proven right as just a few seconds later Hiei, another demon, and a band of humans walked through the door. The two demons and Chiyo only had time to blink stupidly at each other for a single moment before she'd yelped slightly and threw her body weight into the couch back causing it to tip backwards. There was a singular flash of blue light and then a black-haired, brown-eyed human girl was leaping to her feet muttering excuses of surprise. _

_Unfortunately, this really was a case of leaping out of the frying pan straight into the fire. She'd successfully managed to allay suspicion of her being anything other than a human (the humans were much too slow to have seen her with fox ears) but now the humans thought that she was like them and as such, fair game. She'd squeaked as a leering man got a little too close, choosing to fake fear rather than to rip the poor fool's head off (she doubted that would please Hiei very much anyway, although with him… one was never sure). She was contemplated what tale to spin but then an arm had settled along her shoulders, "Gentlemen, my sister, Chi." Brown eyes turned to meet Hiei's for a moment, had his voice caught a little on the sister? Her thoughts were sidetracked as he continued, "Chi, these are some friends of mine." The men had backed off, thankfully, and she was able to make her escape._

Again Hiei shook his head. How did that fox manage to get into so much trouble and yet be so intelligent? He didn't really have to wonder about it long, Kurama after all was one of the smarter demons he'd ever had the pleasure to work with. Foxes were notoriously clever anyway but those two…they seemed to see so much more than what was right in front of them.

_She'd returned much later that night, carrying take-out. She sighed as she shut the door, "Well, that could have been bad." _

_Hiei shrugged as he snagged a carton of rice. Her eyes rested for the barest of seconds on the exposed flesh of his left wrist before she glanced away. Hiei spoke, "It could have, but it wasn't. That was quick thinking making the couch topple like that. The humans suspected nothing." _

_Chiyo took a carton as well and made her way to the living room. She broke her chopsticks apart and then grabbed a bite to eat out of her own carton. Nonchalantly she brought the subject back up as Hiei joined her on the couch, "And that demon?"_

_He watched her for a moment—eyes emotionless—before he spoke again, "He was made aware of whom you actually were. I could not keep it secret after he saw you in demon form. He assumed that you were an Elite on the trail of us…he was the other that stole the dark artifacts with us." He said by way of explanation. She nodded her head in acceptance but then he continued, "After learning you were Kurama's sister Gouki, at first, had the notion that he was looking suddenly looking for a mate." The chopsticks that Chiyo was holding snapped in half. She glanced down at the broken pieces for a moment before bringing steely eyes to meet his own. _

"_He had the notion…" she repeated. _

_Hiei shrugged, "He was soon persuaded to think differently. Don't worry about it. He won't bother you." Her eyes flared with a sudden understanding. He raised an eyebrow in question and she just shrugged it away. _

_She bent to retrieve the broken chopsticks and then got up to get some more. From the kitchen her voice floated back to him, "How exactly did you persuade him to think differently?"_

_Briefly the fire demon thought about the fight with the soul eater that had ensued..._

_*.H*C.*_

'_**I want her, Hiei. She looks tasty. I could break her in a few days I'm sure.' **__The fire demon briefly looked at his "partner" who was salivating about whatever depraved thoughts that had occurred to him. _

_He'd grabbed his sword and headed towards the door, 'You can't have her. She is Kurama's sister. He would kill you.' _

_The tall demon had followed, __**'Ya can't be sure that that fox even likes his sister. He wouldn't need to know what happened to her.'**_

_The fire demon had drawn his sword and turned to face his opponent, 'If you don't believe me to speak for Kurama's interest then hear mine. You can't have her. Try and I'll kill you.' _

_The soul eater had stared for a moment before he started to laugh, __**'You've fallen for her fire demon. The reason ya won't let me have her is 'cause **_**you**_** want her.' **__The fight that had ensued hadn't been a very trying one for Hiei but still the soul eater packed quite a punch when he wished. Throughout the battle he'd kept hearing that last statement ring through his ears. After a particularly severe scratch down his wrist he finally concentrated fully on the battle. Of course that was _not_the reason he'd broken ties with the soul eater. He had sent Gouki running back to his pack of humans simply because he was no longer useful to him…._

*.H*C.*

_He decided to tell Chiyo a lie. That fox had the hardest time with guilt, "I convinced him that you weren't worth the trouble. Not particularly hard to do when you consider your traits." It was a sore subject between the two. Hiei thought the fox was stubborn, foolhardy (as she refused to be cowed by superior strength), and on occasion childish. Chiyo thought the fire demon was an obstinate, overbearing man who mostly refused to admit that there were those, including females, which equaled him. Basically, to each other they were fire and oil…place the two together and they'd be likely to combust. Their two domineering personalities had butted heads on more than a few occasions, usually resulting in a sparring match that left one if not both demons bleeding but in a better frame of mind. _

_Chiyo sauntered back in with a new pair of chopsticks. On the pretext of leaning down to get some of Hiei's rice she grabbed his wrist and his eyes narrowed the slightest. She sighed, "I knew it. You fought him. Let me see your wrist, Hiei." She took the rice and set it on the coffee table and then knelt down in front of him. She beckoned impatiently with one hand and when he finally (stubborn idiot that he was) offered her his wrist she hissed in sympathy. "I hope you trounced him. I think out of all of that mangy pack he looked at me the worst. Fool. I should have been here to destroy the idiot." _

"_It was more expedient this way. He'll leave you alone when you're in the city. He knows that if you get hurt it will be doubled on his worthless hide." Chiyo continued to wrap the bandages around his wrist gently. _

"_I can take care of myself, Hiei." She looked up at him. He was sitting with one arm along the back of the couch. He had nodded at her statement. She finished wrapping the bandages and then tucked in the last piece, "Still…thank you for fighting for me." _

_He was silent for a time. Gouki's statement echoed through his mind, "__'__**The reason ya won't let me have her is 'cause **_**you**_** want her." **__He debated what to say but then settled for, "Kurama would have expected me to." Chiyo tilted her head to the side and smiled slightly but she gathered the bandages and moved to put them back in the bathroom. Just as she reached the door he spoke softly, "Thank you, Little Fox." _

_Her ears flicked back and then she was turned in the doorway and smiling at him, "What are friends for?" _

Friends. Hiei tested out the word. Yes, after all this time, he was friends with Chiyo. It was easier to think back on that battle with Gouki knowing his motives. He hadn't wanted Chiyo like that. When he looked at her he didn't see a lover. He saw an ally and a friend and occasionally for the briefest moment it was easy for him to see what it would have been like to have a sister around. When she looked at him though, just like Kurama, she saw so much more of his story than others did.

_A few weeks later the unlikely allies had settled into a routine. They'd go their separate ways in the mornings but in the evenings they would cook supper—both of them or Chiyo was liable to burn down the building—and then take their supper to the living room. After that they'd read or occasionally talk. The days passed and the bond between the two grew stronger. Hiei would never admit it but Chiyo understood him and some of his pain a lot better than most but still he wasn't the one to bring up his sister. She had. _

_They'd, well Chiyo, had been reading in silence for a few minutes until she'd realized that Hiei hadn't turned a page for a while. She glanced at him and then looked back down. He didn't catch her though so she looked at him, totally ignoring her book. He was staring into the leaping flames but his gaze was focused on something else entirely. "Who are you thinking about, Hiei?" _

_Her voice shook him out of his reverie and he met the curious golden eyes of Chiyo. He picked up his book and turned the page his attention focused more on it than on her, "No one. I wasn't thinking about anyone." _

"_You were thinking about your sister." Her voice was soft but rang with a certainty. _

_He met her eyes and then looked away, "How did you know?"_

"_There have been a few clues. Don't forget we have lived together for about 2 months now. Hiei, I'd have to be blind to not see that you think about someone a lot." She uncurled herself from the armchair and wandered to the couch. She sat down next to him and was quiet leaving him to his thoughts for a few minutes. She had also drifted into her own thoughts because he noticed her bringing a hand up to run it over the twin bells she always wore. Her brother had given them to her, Hiei suddenly remembered. She spoke quietly, "Do you want to talk about her?"_

_Silence for a while and then, "I'm not sure I can."_

_She shrugged, "We have all the time in the world. I'd like to hear about your sister, Hiei. You've been there for me; now let me be there for you. What was her name?" _

That conversation had lasted well into the night but after that there was no doubt that they were closer than allies, they were friends. Hiei's eyes almost strayed towards the clock before he abruptly moved them back to focus on the fire. She would be fine. She could take care of herself. They'd trained often enough after all. If he was honest with himself they'd also fought often enough.

_Four days later, she'd arrived back at the cottage in a rage. She was still in human form as she waited until night to transform back. She'd learned at least that after the Gouki disaster, as she dubbed it. She flipped the white strand behind her ear and her brown eyes were snapping with fury. "God damn it!" She grabbed the handle of the door and pulled. It remained stubbornly stuck in the frame. She snarled and then suddenly blue flames flickered into existence at her feet and swirled around her. Her hair bleached to white even as the white strand darkened to black. Her tail appeared, lashing to and fro, clearly advertising her anger. Golden eyes narrowed to glare at the door. She wrapped her hand around the handle and yanked. The poor door did not resist the demon strength and nearly fell off its hinges. _

_She stormed into the room her eyes blinking as they adjusted to the bright light so different from the stormy gray clouds that raced across outside. Chiyo met Hiei's eyes and then was across the room and ripping his shirt up to glanced at his abdomen. "Little Fox, what are you doing?" _

_She pulled his shirt back down and then grabbed his sword from the table and threw it roughly at him. He caught it and raised an eyebrow at the furious temper tantrum that the fox was throwing. Chiyo glared at him for a moment more and then she was pointing a finger at him, "What does it look like? I was seeing if you had healed." They had fought just a few days ago (another bout of them challenging each other's dominance) and she'd once again managed to slice his stomach, although her left arm had also been wounded. Hiei's wound while healing nicely was not fully healed. Chiyo apparently ignored it, "You're fine. You are going to spar with me. Now." She turned and disappeared outside. A few moments later an impatient snarl echoed about the clearing, "Now, Hiei, before I start killing humans for their infinite stupidity." _

_He had walked out and had to abruptly raise his sword to block the downward swing of Chiyo's. He pushed her blade away, "What is wrong, Fox?" She snarled and there was a sudden onslaught of attacks which he blocked before leaping away. The two blurred around the clearing in another flurry of attacks before they broke apart and landed on opposite ends of the clearing. His curiosity peaked to see the fox demoness so out of control. Chiyo generally kept better hold of her emotions…the only time he'd seen her so out of control was when they'd first met and she'd thought her brother had died. Her next statements proved his assessment._

"_What's wrong? What's wrong! Everything! It's been months and I haven't found a trace of my brother. Were you lying to me? Did he actually die?" Hiei shook his head and then once again had to block a furious swipe. "No? Is he avoiding me? He must be for me to not have caught even a trace of him. What is he thinking?" She leapt at him again and they traded a few blows before she erupted again, "What were YOU thinking? You said I would find him in this city. This is your fault!" _

_Hiei felt his anger rising. Chiyo was allowing her anger free reign. What's more she was behaving childishly as per usual. She'd made no attempt to check her temper tantrum. She at least had some idea where her brother was while he… _

_His eyes narrowed, "My fault? Don't blame me just because you are too stupid to find your brother." She snarled and sprang at him disarming him with a similar twist of the blade that he'd used against her the first day. She was learning he'd give her that. She threw her own blade so it stuck in the tree next to his and then she was punching him. He blocked and then threw a kick which she blocked. They began to circle. _

"_Don't you dare say that I'm too stupid to find my own damn brother, you useless fire demon. I don't see you winning any races in finding missing siblings either!" Hiei stopped and Chiyo's ears flicked back once as she saw the red eyes flare crimson. _

"_What did you say?" He asked her quietly…too quietly. The tendons on his arms became more pronounced and his jaw more defined as he clenched both fists and jaw in anger. The normal Chiyo would have stopped and apologized realizing she'd gone too far. The normal Chiyo, however, was not present. This fox was annoyed, worried, angry, and frustrated. She wasn't thinking how she would _normally_ act, she was thinking about how she wanted to unleash this torrent of emotions and beings she couldn't start destroying the human race that left Hiei as her only target. _

"_You heard me." She snarled. He was suddenly a blur going towards the tree and then slashing at her furiously. Chiyo, seeing his intention, had snatched the dagger from her waistband and parried as best she could which was not all that well considering his formidable speed and talent with the sword. If she only had her dagger for defense she would be hard pressed to come out victorious in this fight. _

"_You will regret that, Fox." He attacked again allowing even more of his fury to show through his snapping crimson eyes. At the moment both friends were not themselves. They'd given into their fury and their power was unleashed and out of control. The blurs flashing around the clearing seemed to increase and when they collided-flashing silver was seen and metallic clinking was heard—as the two battered against each other's defenses. As the fight continued, however, her fury grew as he seemed to predict ever single move and blocked her in plenty of time to avoid injury. Allowing her rising sense of anger to curtail her good sense she blocked the sword with her left arm while swiping upward with her dagger. Hiei's white bandana fell to the muddy ground. After throwing the dagger at his heart to gain her some time, she leapt away and towards her own blade, ruby drops following the motion. She swore as she saw the state of her bloody arm but then transferred the blade to her other hand. _

_She whirled around and then paused as she met Hiei's three eyes. Chiyo's eyes had widened slightly, "You have a Jagan Eye." _

_Hiei smirked dangerously, "You can't win, Fox. Give up." _

_Her brief moment of surprise went up in a cloud of smoke as the fury burned brighter. "You are insufferable, fire demon. I will never give up, not to you." She leapt forward and again the two swords clashed together. A deafening rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning heralded the arrival of the storm and then the broiling gray clouds above them broke open and released a flood. The two continued to whirl around each other. Chiyo seemed to stumble once and Hiei swiped down at her. She was forced to block the blade with her left arm once again and the flow of red down her arm intensified. She snarled; golden eyes narrowed in anger. _

_He was slowly pushing her further back but then they were locking swords, pressing against each other, body to body. A flash of fire along his abdomen brought to Hiei's attention the reason for Chiyo's earlier 'stumble'. Like her brother, Chiyo also fought three steps ahead of her opponent. Despite her opponent being Hiei (who's deadly skill was nothing to laugh at) using the Jagan to psychically predict her moves (a battle changer, if not decider), she had been reasonably sure that the depth of his fury would blind him to her ploy. She was right. Chiyo had a brief sense of sick victory as her dagger bit into the flesh of his abdomen. _

_She'd also been very very wrong. She had hoped that the flash of pain would bring him back down from his fury. It had not. During her strategizing moments before, Chiyo had come to the chilling realization that this fight had to stop or else one of them was going to die. She'd been so stupid to goad Hiei with his sister like that, knowing the depth of his pain. After all it very nearly mirrored hers. She might as well have just slapped him unprovoked. An out-of-nowhere attack like that…no wonder he was angry. She'd also been stupid to refuse to give up she grudgingly admitted to herself. Despite her dominant attitude she knew she was the weaker one, by a slight amount only, but it was enough to give Hiei an advantage in battle if they were battling with just brute force. _

_As she thought she lost some of her concentration on the battle: a costly mistake in a normal battle—a deadly one in a battle with Hiei. He back handed her and she flew into the tree and it shook slightly with the impact. She kept on her feet but only just. She shook her head to clear it in time to see Hiei leaping toward her again with his sword raised. In the brief second before he connected she did three things. _

_She dropped her sword, closed her eyes, and admitted defeat, "I give up." Chiyo braced herself for the pain she was sure that was coming. Her mind whirled and she felt sick—what had she been doing? Her emotions, which had been held back by fury tumbled down and emerged her in a furious maelstrom of conflicting emotions as rational thought returned. She felt something pass just to the left of her heart and arm and then she heard the thud. She opened her eyes and met Hiei's. The Jagan eye looked at her for an interminable moment before it slowly closed. His crimson eyes cleared of the raw fury and then he blinked and she had the curious sensation of actually being able to see an emotion in his eyes, although what emotion it was she wasn't sure. Her own eyes she was sure were full of shame and regret. He closed his eyes and bowed his head so that it was resting on her shoulder. They were both heaving for breath. _

_She took stock of their positions. She was still standing but with a sword between her arm and heart and Hiei's other forearm resting against the tree she was effectively pinned in. All in all not a good position to be in but seeing as the alternative was her being skewered to the tree it was acceptable. As the full implications of her fight penetrated her emotion filled brain her golden eyes widened and then filled—she had wounded him so. She once again threw her arms around the fire demon before her causing them both to fall to the ground, "I am so sorry, Hiei. I should have never said those stupid things. I had an awful day. I still can't find Kurama and it is frustrating being so close but yet no nearer to him. Not to mention that the humans are so stupid but I _can't_ kill them. So you just seemed like as good a target as any. What I said though… it is inexcusable. I said that knowing you'd be angry, knowing that it would hurt you. I wanted a release from my emotions so I guess I felt like I needed to provoke yours. I'm sorry." _

_Hiei felt himself fall to the ground with Chiyo on top of him. The abrupt spreading of pain across his abdomen shocked him. More shocking, however, had been what his Jagan eye had seen…_

*.H*C.*

_With the fury still running strongly through him he wanted to sneer at her weakness, scoff at her willful dominant personality, and then utterly destroy her. He had, in fact, been about to run her through with his blade but then he saw her throw her own, drop her hands to her sides, and close her eyes. He'd been so ready to kill her but then the Jagan had been hit with the full force of her emotions as her rational thought returned and her fury was extinguished. She was ashamed, so ashamed, of what she'd said about Yukina. Chiyo had quickly come to the conclusion that she would not fight Hiei. She would not hurt him further. She could not. He was her ally, her best friend, and she deserved everything that happened next. She would not fight…she deserved everything. She would pay with this thoughtless comment with her own blood if she needed to. As the sword whistled closer to her heart, Chiyo the indomitable spitfire vixen with a temper nearly as bad as his did a truly amazing thing. She submitted to him. As her soft voice penetrated his fury-fogged brain Hiei barely had time to change the direction of his sword. He was frozen for a moment in confusion at the chaotic feelings—abrupt shame that he had almost _killed_ her and surprise that she had _submitted_ to him...and fear (of losing her?)—and then she looked at him. _

_When the Jagan had met the golden eyes he'd seen that her feelings were genuine and with the last vestiges of fury still strengthening his power he saw her much more clearly than he'd ever been previously capable of. A possessive thought—Mine—ran through his mind as he met the golden eyes of the female heaving for breath before him. Then the Jagan had closed and his emotions were once again his own and not mixed with hers. His were hardly less chaotic though. He closed his eyes and dropped his head to her shoulder._

_*.H*C.*_

_He sat up slowly bringing her up with him, as she'd not let released her hold on him. Hiei opened his eyes and looked at the sobbing fox in his arms. He shook her slightly. His voice was slightly rough when he spoke, "You idiot." Her sobs stopped abruptly at his tone and she met his gaze. "Chiyo, I could have killed you!"_

_She pulled back until her hands were resting on his shoulders. Her eyes flashed irritation for a moment. Her fiery spirit rekindling slightly and she spoke quietly, "Idiot?" _

"_Yes, you are an idiot. I could have killed you." He glanced back at the tree and at his sword which was a good two-thirds of the way embedded in the thick trunk. His eyes darkened. _

_ She blinked rapidly. Was this cause of Hiei's emotion? Chiyo shook her head causing the strand of hair to tumble in front of her eye. He pushed the strand out of the way. Her next words were confident and her tears seemed forgotten, "You wouldn't have." _

_Her sure statement sparked irritation. He shook her again, "You have no way of knowing that. The Jagan—it feeds on emotions. The only emotion I was feeding it was fury and then you go and throw away your sword. What were you thinking?"_

_Chiyo blinked golden eyes again, "Surely you know?"_

_ He sighed and closed his eyes, anger diffusing, "Yes, I know what you were thinking." _

_ She thwacked him aside the head, although softly. His eyes snapped open and she smiled at him, "Well, then. Don't ask stupid questions." Hiei shook his head and slowly stood up pulling her with him. He pulled her close for a moment and she returned the brief hug (she had a feeling they were both assuring themselves of each other's relatively good wellbeing) and then he pushed her away. _

_He grabbed her left ear and twisted it roughly, "Next time keep your sword, Little Fox." _

That had been their worst fight. Hiei glared into the fire. He had nearly killed her. What would her brother have thought? He placed both hands behind his head and then leaned back, staring at the ceiling. If he was honest (and apparently tonight, that's all he was being) he wasn't even worried about what Kurama would have thought. He was more concerned with himself. What would he have done? What if he had actually run her through and she had died by his hand? He glanced at the clock—12:30—Chiyo was late. He pushed back the worry. She was only scouring the city. She wouldn't get hurt and if she did well she, or he, could patch her up.

_She'd probed the wound with gentle fingers. He remained silent his gaze fixed on the ceiling until she reached the middle of the cut and probed just a little too deeply. He hissed in a sharp breath. "Oh, stop it. I didn't hurt you that much."_

_He'd glanced down. "It's bleeding worse." It was. Her amber gold eyes widened slightly but then she busied herself with scolding him._

"_Well, if you wouldn't have been moving like an idiot, it wouldn't have gotten worse now would it?" His eyes narrowed. Chiyo met the narrowed gaze with one of her own but then her eyes flashed shame as she dropped her gaze to the still bleeding gash, "Still, I'm sorry about this." Her fingers had whispered along the edges of the wound again with a light caress. Hiei ignored the spreading warmth that trailed from her fingers. It was just the adrenaline of the fight dissipating anyway he was sure._

_He'd snorted at her comment. He couldn't help it. He had one deep gash to show from their battle. She was bleeding from numerous cuts, the gash on her arm bleeding particularly badly, and she had almost been impaled to a tree and she was apologizing to him—the would-be murderer. "Chiyo, I nearly killed you." _

_She finished wiping the blood away and began wrapping the bandage around the wound. As she finished she stood up and turned slightly away, "Nearly…is not an actually. Stop thinking about it, we both did stupid things tonight but no matter what way you look at it, I started it." _

_Hiei smirked and then reached forward and twisted her left ear causing her to yelp at the sharp pain. He met her gaze, "We're even. Now, come here." _

"_Why?"_

"_So, I can wrap your arm. You are bleeding after all." Her lips curved into a smile and her eyes lightened as she walked towards him. He tweaked her left ear once more (gently this time) before he started to wrap her arm. _

_When he was done she'd spoken quietly, "Thank you, Hiei." _

_He'd shrugged away her thanks, "What are friends for?" _

_And so their first fight ended._

A loud bang brought his attention away from his thoughts. Chiyo entered the room dripping wet. She snarled as she shook her head from side to side uncaring that several drops landed on the nearby demon. "Rain does not make a happy fox at all. Hiei, you _must_ be wrong. I've searched this city for months now and I've found nothing!" The red eyed demon looked back at the dripping fox demoness and sighed. Grabbing a nearby, neatly folded towel he wiped the excess drops from himself before tossing it towards her. Chiyo caught it and began to dry her long silver-white hair with impatient movements.

He made his trademark, "Hn," and the brisk movements instantly stilled. Hiei did as well. The fox growled lowly and then all but leapt across the room, her sword arcing following in a silver blur of motion. His own blocked it, "What the hell, Chiyo!" 

**A/N:** So, I've finally added another chapter. This chapter spans several months and as such is long. I attempted to show the progression of the two's feelings but I'm not sure if it worked all that well. Still, this whole chapter has been bugging me for a few days and since I'm falling behind in homework I decided to post it. There were a couple reviews/pms (which I'm thankful for by the by) that thought that Chiyo seemed a bit Mary Sue/too emotional for Hiei. That may be true. Chiyo has a very difficult character: she's happy most of the time but is prone to fits of rage as well as being calculating and manipulative if needed. You'll see more of her character emerge the further we go into the story. However, I must point out...this fanfic is purely for my (and you if you like it) pleasure and I'm not too worried about the pacing. I wanted it to be a Hiei OC love fanfic and I'm more interested in how Chi acts throughout the story. As always, reviews (and the reviewers) are adored~

Also…I went back to read it again and found some mistakes. So I've corrected them as well as adding some more information that I thought was relevant and rounded the story a bit more.


	4. Episode 02: Seeing Souls

_Episode 02: Seeing Souls_

Two blurs flashed across the clearing before leaping into the trees and disappearing further into the forest. The trees passed by in a flashing blur for Chiyo and she grinned. A black blur flashed closer to her and she swiftly parried the sword that was coming at her before pushing away and once again sprinting through the trees. The black blur followed and quickly gained on her. She abruptly twisted her slender body in a different direction and laughed lightly when the blur passed her. A few minutes later the two blurs collided and flashing silver arced between the two briefly as once again they parried each other's blows.

For a while the two continued to train but as the afternoon light strengthened the white blur slowed and then came to a stop. As her panting eased Chiyo slowly sank down so she was sitting cross-legged on the branch her tail hanging down and swinging back and forth lazily. She was grinning brightly. Hiei and she had been training for the past fortnight rather than just having the occasional sparring match. There were many benefits to this newly implemented plan. Chiyo no longer had to bottle her frustrations up at not finding her brother so they didn't have to worry about another fight to death like they'd had a few months ago. She was also pleased to see that she was improving her speed. Of course, she had to in order to keep up with the fire demon. She grinned ruefully. She'd been considered one of the faster demons back at her home but Hiei was making her push her limits.

The branch shook lightly as another presence joined her. Chiyo turned to watch him as he settled. Hiei moved closer to the trunk and then sat so that his back was resting against it. His right leg was bent with his right forearm resting on it while his other leg dangled over the branch. Golden amber met red for a moment before the fire demon closed his eyes and rested his head back against the trunk. Chiyo huffed a sigh and stuck her tongue out at him. He replied without opening his eyes, "Child."

She brushed his reply off and made a quick one of her own, "Idiot." They sat in companionable silence for a time. Chiyo carefully lay back along the branch and then lifted her arms and placed them behind her head. Her left leg dangled over the branch and she swung it back and forth slowly as she allowed her eyes to close. She basked in the sunlight for a time, apparently unaware of the crimson eyes that had focused on her. "Hey, Hiei?"

"Hn." He turned his gaze away from her. Silence reigned for a few moments before he brought red eyes back towards her figure. A single golden eye twinkled mischievously and her lips twitched into a hopeful smile. He looked away, "No. We are not playing that childish game. Why does it fascinate you so much?"

The golden eye closed and she sighed, "I find it interesting is all. The control you have is amazing." He smirked slightly but then he cocked his head to the side while his eyes narrowed thoughtfully...she generally wasn't so free with her compliments unless she wanted something. Hiei knew that if the fox did want something she was bound to beg for as long as it took to break his defenses. She was, he had to admit to himself, very good at it. He sighed and looked at the fox again to see a smug smirk cross her features, although her eyes were still closed. She continued as if she were unaware of his thought processes, "So, can we play? Please?" He shook his head again sometimes it felt like she could read _his_ mind too.

"Hn." His eyes closed as he once again leaned his head back. He felt Chiyo wriggle around for a moment as she attempted to get comfortable and then she settled. She was quiet for a time. He allowed the silence to stretch between them until she lightly punched him with her left hand as she growled lowly—clearly irritated at having to wait. "Blue."

"You're right…and now?" He opened his eyes and looked at her with crimson eyes. She had switched positions so that she was lying against the branch on her stomach like a great jungle cat. Her left arm lay across the branch and her head was cradled in her right hand as she watched him with a smile.

"Red."

She nodded and then moved her arms so she could pillow her head. She closed her eyes again, "Although that last one wasn't quite right. I wasn't thinking of red I was thinking of-"

Hiei finished her sentence, "Crimson. Do you want me to be that specific?"

She laughed lightly again while shaking her head, "That is truly amazing. Hiei… may I take off your headband while we play?"

He glanced at her and although it was a question he spoke next it was in monotone, without a trace of emotion. "Why?"

Chiyo sat up and edged closer to him. "Because… I want to see the Jagan. Now, may I?" She took his silence as permission and edged closer until she was kneeling between his legs. She carefully untied the bandanna and then moved back until she was sitting cross-legged a few feet in front of him. For a moment the eye remained closed but then it opened slowly. Chiyo smiled as she met the purple iris and then glanced down to meet Hiei's crimson eyes. He was watching her expression carefully, "What?" She tilted her head and the bells around her throat jingled lightly.

"You don't react as others do when they see it."

She blinked rapidly as she thought about it but then she shrugged, "Well, I wouldn't would I? They don't know you and so they don't understand your reasons for getting the Jagan. I however," and she winked playfully at him, "know both you and your reasons." She twined the bandanna about her hands for a time as she thought before looked back up, "When you read my mind can you read everything?"

"No. You should know that, you use blocks against me." That part had surprised him at first actually. Just like her playful personality masked her more manipulative side…her mind was at most times lightly guarded against trespassers. It had surprised him but the more he thought about it the more he came to accept it. She was Kurama's sister after all. It stood to reason that she would also be intelligent enough to realize the pros of guarding her thoughts from strangers.

She shrugged and stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes. "I hadn't been though in the beginning, not much anyway. Did you read my mind then?" He shook his head. Chiyo looked down fighting a grin, "I'd figured you wouldn't…you're too controlled to indulge your power. Plus, I bet it would be annoying to hear everyone's thoughts all the time." She tilted her head to the side again as she mused about it. Chiyo raised her hands to her hair and idly began to braid it as she continued to ponder. He watched her as she reached the end of her snowy hair and then his eyes narrowed slightly as she impishly tied his bandanna at the end of her hair and then flicked it behind her. The black strand fell in front of her eye and she pushed it aside with a huff. "Yup, it would definitely be annoying. Anyway," Chiyo jumped back to the first his first statement, "I wouldn't react differently to you without the Jagan. You're just as dangerous without it."

"Hn…perhaps to other demons but not to you. In our sparring matches I don't use it. Like your brother you think about battles differently than most dimwits. It's easier to just fight you without it." She grinned at him.

"You used it in that battle though." She didn't have to specify which as they both remembered it well.

"I was angry. Fury feeds the Jagan, any emotion does really, so it saw clearer."

Chiyo nodded her head thoughtfully looking very much like Kurama for an instant. Hiei was struck at the similarity between the fox siblings. Despite their different looks they had many similar mannerisms. For example the thoughtful expression that so often crossed their features. "That makes sense. I suppose that's another reason why I admire the Jagan: if you hadn't used its power I would have one more scar to admire." She flicked her ears in surprise as she watched all three eyes darken at the memory and she reached forward and rested one hand on Hiei's. He didn't push it away, "Hey, I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I'm grateful for the Jagan because it saved me."

"From me." The words were actually laced with a hint of shame. Chiyo leaned forward to slap him aside his head. Hiei, however, saw this coming and grabbed her wrist. She frowned and pulled slightly to get away but he refused to let go and pulled back. She let out a surprised squeak as she fell forward. She braced her free hand against the trunk and looked up at him.

"Hiei, look at me." He did although only with his crimson orbs. She spoke again, "Hiei, look at me with the Jagan." He did and once again golden amber and purple irises met for an interminable minute. Then he blinked, sighed, and released her wrist.

She sat back, "You understand?" He was silent and didn't answer her. She knew that he had seen her thoughts and feelings with his Jagan eye but she sighed and elaborated anyway. Sometimes, the stubborn idiot just had to hear things out loud, "We've already been through this…I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself. I pushed you to lose control, I wanted a fight. I said those hurtful things to you…" her voice faded away as a blush of shame spread across her cheeks but she doggedly continue, "If it was anyone's fault it was my own. So stop thinking it was your fault." She thwacked him aside the head for emphasis.

He growled at her and then reached forward to twist her left ear. She grinned in response, once again sticking her tongue out at him. She settled back, "So… what am I thinking now?"

Crimson met amber gold and then widened in surprise at her thought, "Your wondering how much of you I saw that night."

She nodded, "You did say that it was strengthened with emotion. I made you fairly angry," he scoffed at her underestimate. She'd made him furious, "and I'd dropped the mental block I'm pretty sure. So… what did you see?"

He looked at her for a long moment before he glanced away, "I saw you."

She snorted once, "Well, I _know_ that, you idiot… I meant-"

Hiei cut her off, "I saw _all_ of you, Chiyo." Her eyes widened and her mouth opened into a perfect 'o' shape. She was silent for a few more minutes. Hiei briefly wondered what such a confession would do to their ally/friendship. For those few split seconds that rainy night he had seen everything that made Chiyo herself. Her hopes, dreams, thoughts, personality...he had seen it all. He highly doubted that she would ever be able to surprise him again. A cloud passing over the sun cast her face in shadow for a minute and when it cleared she was once again smiling.

"Well, then. I guess I'll just have to ferret out some of your secrets to make us even." The Jagan blinked once…in surprise. Perhaps she would always surprise him. She smiled impishly at him, "You're surprised. You expected me to be angry?" He nodded and she shrugged, "Well, I thought about it of course but," and she smiled warmly at him, "I don't mind that you found out. You probably would have regardless. Kurama used to say that I was an open book, a temperamental book, but a book nonetheless."

He shook his head again. This fox was something else entirely. They both felt demon energy flare at the furthest part of the forest and begin to head near them. Chiyo's lip curled in disgust. Hiei sighed, "I'll need my headband back." She tilted her head at him and grinned playfully while turning her back at him exposing her braid and the headband.

"You can have it if you take it." She laughed lightly as he sighed. He carefully unwound the bandanna from her hair. She began to turn and he stopped her and then began to unbraid her hair. Hiei watched as she began to blush and he smirked to himself, it was good to know that he could still surprise her too.

When he was done he twisted her left ear gently, "I suggest you change to your human form. Gouki won't be able to sense you anymore. If you stay here you can listen. Oh and Little Fox?" She turned to face him the blush still apparent on her face, "You aren't an open book but your brother _was_ right about the temperamental part." She looked affronted for a moment but then grinned at him. He jumped lightly to the ground. _'You, Master Fire, are a jerk and will pay for that comment.' _Her soft thought seemed particularly clear and he realized it was because she was arrowing it towards him. Chiyo definitely learned fast. He allowed a smirk to cross his face.

He began to tie the headband but then stiffened slightly as the breeze brought her scent towards him; he glanced at the headband in front of him and then shook his head. That damn fox…luckily Gouki didn't have that good of sense of smell. He would never let the fire demon live it down if he smelled the fox demoness on Hiei. The dimwitted fool would assume that he had taken her as a mate. _**Mine**_. He stilled for a moment at the memory of a thought—his thought—echoed through his mind. He had told Chiyo about what thoughts he had seen of hers that night but he had yet to tell her of _his_ thoughts. He shook it away—that wasn't what he truly felt. He finished tying the headband in place just as the soul eater trundled into view. Hiei leaned against the tree waiting for him.

Chiyo had meanwhile allowed blue flames to spiral around her until she was sitting in human form on the branch. She ran a hand through her hair; her scalp was still prickling with awareness from his touch and she scowled. What the hell was wrong with her? Her annoyance at herself faded as a familiar foul scent reached her nose and Gouki walked into the clearing. Her nose scrunched—yeck, even in her human form he still smelled.

"Hiei. What are ya doin' all the way out here? I thought ya said we'd meet at the edge of the forest."

"I was training." The soul eater glanced about and raised his nose to breeze. _'Pfft, like the fool would be able to scent me through his atrocious scent.' _He smirked as the soft thought again whispered through his mind.

The soul eater sniffed the breeze again, "Hiei, is that delicious fox demoness about? I thought I sensed her earlier." A soft snarl echoed through his head, _'He wouldn't be able to _sense_ me either if I wished otherwise. Truly, Hiei, you picked an idiot for an accomplice.' _

While the conversation with the fox amused Hiei a great deal he decided it was better to concentrate on Gouki standing before him, _**'Quiet, Little Fox. I have work to do.'**_ He felt rather than saw her surprise as his voice echoed through her mind and then her awareness faded as she placed mental blocks up. "Chiyo is none of your concern."

Gouki chuckled lightly and licked his fangs, "Chiyo huh? Already on a first name basis… you must be close to taking the wench for your own. You certainly have no use for her for anything else." His awareness prickled as he felt her drop her shields, _'Hiei…he's worse than you. At least you can admit that there are some females capable of fighting.' _He growled lowly into her mind and her voice retreated again, _'I know…I know, be quiet. Your "wench" will be silent.' _Her voice faded completely although he was left with her prickling anger.

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed the demon before him, "That's enough, Gouki. Why are you here?"

"Why do ya think? That fox boy partner of yours came to me with a message. He wanted to meet tonight to discuss the plan."

Hiei imagined that Chiyo was sitting dead still concentrating on the conversation below. She was. She watched as Hiei pushed off from the tree and grabbed his katana that was lying beside him, "Hn…that's acceptable. I will see you tonight."

"Why break this meetin' short, Hiei?" As he waited for the fire demon to reply he reached into his pocket and pulled out the green orb of Baast. A small silvery soul emerged and he greedily slurped it up, "Ah, nothin' like a good human soul. They're the best…those little human kiddies, ya know?" A cold crimson glare stopped the demon from continuing. He raised both clawed hands in a peace gesture and turned to go. Just as he was about to enter the tree-line he turned back, "Ya know…when ya get done with that demoness ya could remember me. I don't mind havin' someone's sloppy seconds." Gouki disappeared.

Hiei began to practice his swordplay first going slow and then speeding up. The clearing had been silent for a few minutes and the soul eater's scent had faded when Chiyo dropped to the ground beside him. Her amber golden eyes were snapping with anger. He sheathed his sword, "What is it, Chiyo?"

Her tail (she'd changed back as soon as Gouki was out of range) lashed back and forth, "Must you even ask? It is that…that creature that you call a partner! He is completely useless. He spends all his time stuffing his face with human souls. Then he has the _nerve _to tell you that he will accept me as sloppy seconds." She jabbed him viciously in the chest with one clawed hand, "You better remember this, Hiei. I am no one's 'wench' and I would certainly never belong to that slobbering fool. Sloppy seconds…ugh…Gouki is a pig. I'd destroy the fool before he even knew what was happening. What is the worst though is that he is eating children's souls. That is wrong."

"Is it? Humans are the lowest of low. Demons are of superior strength and intelligence."

Chiyo shook her head angrily at Hiei's reply, "You don't mean that…or at the very least you don't mean it entirely. You know just as well as I that there are some humans, just like there are some _female_ demons—or should I say wenches—" Her eyes flashed irritation showing the depth of her anger at Gouki's prior comment, "that are capable of fighting demons. There are levels of power and intelligence among them just as there are among the demons, Hiei."

"Hn."

She thwacked him aside the head still fuming, "Don't you 'hn' me, Hiei. I know you, don't forget. I also know that you've never killed a child, human or otherwise, and why? Because you respect that there are some that are untouchable. Gouki is of the mangy breed that respects no boundaries." Her eyes darkened suddenly at a memory and her tail drooped but then she was shaking the emotion away and glaring at him again.

"Those that are weak don't deserve to survive. Humans are weak. It is simply logic, fox." He watched her as she whirled back towards him her tail lashing side to side

She poked him in the chest again, "Logic does not apply to everything as you well know. You try to deny it but you cannot tell me that you feel nothing for your sister or even Kurama. You do feel things, Hiei. If you insist on refusing to think about the here and now then think to the future. Hiei, would let some upstart demon destroy your children? What about Yukina's or Kurama's? What about mine? Would you stand by and watch them be slaughtered just because they were too weak to survive where the law of the jungle reigns?" For a moment she paused in her rant and watched as he thought about it. He blinked once and although his facial expression didn't change (it was as emotionless as always) Chiyo saw that she had made some headway. She had no way to know that for a single isolated moment the image of Chiyo as a mother flashed through his mind. She continued softly, "If you continue to work with this demon, Hiei, you are not the man I thought you were."

"What do you propose we do then, Little Fox?"

Chiyo allowed a predatory sLLFmirk to spread across her face, "That's simple." 

**A/N:** So… here is another chapter. 3 updates in a few weeks clearly there is something wrong with me. Once again there is a lot of Chiyo/Hiei interaction and I'm still not positive if I like the way that it is turning out...but I decided to post it anyway. I don't know why I'm suddenly having all these random ideas after such a long period of nothing and quite frankly it is a tad annoying as I actually have homework to finish. However, I'd love to hear your thoughts or flames if you so desire. ^-^ Again, reviews and reviewers are adored~


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